border control delays...

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katy
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Re: border control delays...

Postby katy » Tue May 01, 2012 11:46 am

Being discussed on a Cunard forum, this post made me smile!


Last year, the lines were as described but Delta gave us tickets for an "Express Line". Part of the Business Class fare I guess. For the entire hall, 4 gates being worked. 3 of the 4 agents were wearing turbans and acting as if we were all some lower life form. Extremely slow and rude. My Mother is English and I spent much of my younger years with the relatives in the UK. It is very sad to see the decline of Britain and the apparent loss of "Britishness", if that makes any sense.

gus-lopez
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Re: border control delays...

Postby gus-lopez » Tue May 01, 2012 12:01 pm

frank wrote:
katy wrote:
Just wondering....how many of you posters actually use Heathrow :?:
Very few, I suspect, and if they do, how many times a year do they fly into it. Total waiting time, at the most, couple of hours a year. As I said, better than no flights at all.
No , I've got to disagree there. That's how it all starts, the thin end of the wedge & is the reason why the countruy has sunk into the state it is in now.
& if there's a queue then everyone should be in it , no vip lanes, no express clearance & the staff/unions/ management / police should ensure that they wait with everyone else.
As one yank said yesterday " The Brits will win all the golds as no one else will be able to get in. "
Todos somos Lorca.

gus-lopez
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Re: border control delays...

Postby gus-lopez » Tue May 01, 2012 12:08 pm

peteroldracer wrote:If only all countries could be on the same hymn sheet, all passengers could be checked as they board aircraft and the information passed to the destination country so that they can be checked whilst in the air. It would only mean a slightly more thorough check-in procedure than at present, and would contribute to in-flight safety.
Seems so obvious to me - maybe I am missing something?
Any country not meeting agreed standards could simply have all passengers departing from there being refused landing.
Easy
Unfortunately Peter, sensible suggestions aren't welcome from people who can obviously walk & talk. The same as money saving ones in public services by employees are treated with contempt.
Todos somos Lorca.

markwilding
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Re: border control delays...

Postby markwilding » Tue May 01, 2012 7:07 pm

peteroldracer wrote:Any country not meeting agreed standards could simply have all passengers departing from there being refused landing.
Easy
Except if you're one of the passengers being refused entry into your own country

katy
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Re: border control delays...

Postby katy » Tue May 01, 2012 8:36 pm

Seems as 80 extra staff will be taken on for the olympics..........unions aren't happy though :?

Considering that there aren't flights from andalucla going into Heathrow aren't we off topic :?:

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Campo Steve
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Re: border control delays...

Postby Campo Steve » Tue May 01, 2012 8:56 pm

As has been said by others, long queues are experienced at other airports. Airports that do have flights from Andalucia, and will have extra flights for the Olympics. So not really off topic.
I've got an inferiority complex, but it's not a very good one!

ajtg1952
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Re: border control delays...

Postby ajtg1952 » Tue May 01, 2012 10:19 pm

Campo Steve wrote:I remember 20 or so years ago, USA immigration experimented with an immigration desk in the satellite terminal at Gatwick. All passengers on flights to USA cleared immigration before departure so the only queue upon arrival in USA was for your baggage. It worked. I don't think it lasted very long, presumably because the costs of bringing US immigration staff over to operate the system must have been astronomical.
This is still the case at Shannon.

I have not got into this thread as I have a lot of issues about UK Border control. If I aired them I would probably be locked up!!...

gus-lopez
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Re: border control delays...

Postby gus-lopez » Wed May 02, 2012 6:04 am

katy wrote:Seems as 80 extra staff will be taken on for the olympics..........unions aren't happy though :?

Considering that there aren't flights from andalucla going into Heathrow aren't we off topic :?:
But as they recently cut 880 jobs it's a bit of a smokescreen .
Todos somos Lorca.

ashtondav
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Re: border control delays...

Postby ashtondav » Wed May 02, 2012 8:02 am

Oh great!

The latest solution seems to be to fly staff down from Manchester to London. :crazy:

That's OK, then.

Unless you fly to Manchester. :wtf:

frank
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Re: border control delays...

Postby frank » Wed May 02, 2012 8:39 am

peteroldracer wrote:If only all countries could be on the same hymn sheet, all passengers could be checked as they board aircraft and the information passed to the destination country so that they can be checked whilst in the air. It would only mean a slightly more thorough check-in procedure than at present, and would contribute to in-flight safety.
Seems so obvious to me - maybe I am missing something?
No, not missing anything, nor suggesting anything radically new. Passenger profiling has been around for years, but then you get the tree huggers banging on about civil liberties being violated and certain groups, ie muslims, Pakistanis etc, being targeted. Besides I can't see how having a delay at book in is any better than when landing. There was talk of reintroducing some profiling, suggesting that if 50 kids go off on a skiing trip, they should be able to be waved through on their return, but I can see the same people being stopped, the same problems of civil liberties cropping up. Why am I being stopped and they are being waved through? I think the OP is bored, probably never flies into Heathrow, and should get a life, get out more.
Profiling Provokes Concerns over Civil Liberties
Civil Rights experts argue that passenger profiling violates passengers' civil rights. Any profiling system requires creating stereotypes of their objects based on existing information. So, because the 9/11 attackers were all Arab Muslims, Arab Muslims are more likely to be profiled than others, which violates basic ideas about Americans' equality. The chance that inaccuracies and prejudice will make their way into the system is good
.
Regards, Frank

No soy residente, simplemente un turista, ¿qué sé yo?

detourer
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Re: border control delays...

Postby detourer » Wed May 02, 2012 8:54 am

Angela Merkel arrived at Passport Control at Paris airport.
"Nationality?" asked the immigration officer.
"German," she replied.
"Occupation?"
"No, just here for a few days."


. :wink:
Go to the grave in an attractive and well preserved body? Rather skid in sideways, women on each arm, champagne and credit card in each hand, body thoroughly used, abused, totally worn out and screaming …."WOO HOO, WHAT A RIDE"

Free at Last
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Re: border control delays...

Postby Free at Last » Wed May 02, 2012 9:45 am

gus-lopez wrote:
katy wrote:Seems as 80 extra staff will be taken on for the olympics..........unions aren't happy though :?

Considering that there aren't flights from andalucla going into Heathrow aren't we off topic :?:
But as they recently cut 880 jobs it's a bit of a smokescreen .
Actually, the announcement said that 80 extra staff would be provided immediately (made up of back office staff and staff from other points of entry, taken off their normal duties) and an extra 400 would be taken on during the Olympics (as I said earlier in the thread, retired Border Control staff are to be brought back, paid a higher hourly rate than the permanent staff, given hotel accommodation and subsistence allowances).

After the Olympics, it will be interesting to see if they press ahead with their plans to reduce the number of Border Control staff by a further 1,500.

I'll be flying into Manchester in late June and will certainly be making a complaint if the queues are excessive there as a result of staff being hauled down to Heathrow to paper over the cracks.

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Re: border control delays...

Postby ashtondav » Wed May 02, 2012 10:46 am

Although there are no flights from LHR I did originally post that Birmingham was affected as well - in fact it was a screaming disasterous wait last time I flew in from Malaga. I'm off right now so will resume this thread on my return in 4 weeks.

katy
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Re: border control delays...

Postby katy » Wed May 02, 2012 12:15 pm

I wonder if the officers will change their work routine of having 3 desks open whilst 4 or 5 officers stand around chatting :roll:

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Campo Steve
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Re: border control delays...

Postby Campo Steve » Wed May 02, 2012 12:51 pm

I think you will find that the ones standing back from the desks are there for when a suspicious character tries to get into the country. Otherwise, whenever a dodgy passport/visa is presented the desk would have to be closed.
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Mowser
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Re: border control delays...

Postby Mowser » Wed May 02, 2012 12:51 pm

Let everyone in and sort it out later?
Dave

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Re: border control delays...

Postby Mowser » Wed May 02, 2012 4:28 pm

Oh dear!
Chaos at border control deepens as immigration staff announce strike
Dave

katy
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Re: border control delays...

Postby katy » Wed May 02, 2012 7:34 pm

Mowser wrote:Oh dear!
Chaos at border control deepens as immigration staff announce strike
The last strike in 2011 queues were normal...says it all :roll: Why have the queues reached crisis level suddenly? Has there been a massive increase in passengers. What are the stats for sick leave etc. 10% cuts across the board shouldn't have such a drastic effect :?

Free at Last
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Re: border control delays...

Postby Free at Last » Sun May 06, 2012 2:08 pm

From today's Sunday Times:-

"Heathrow is offering a 'secret' £1,800 service for wealthy air passengers to bypass queues for passport checks ...
The VIP offering, described as Heathrow's 'best kept secret' on the Heathrow services website, is raising millions of pounds for BAA, the airport's owners ...
The £1,800 fee entitles up to six passengers to be whisked through, shielded from the crowds at border controls. They are taken by limousine from their aircraft to the Windsor suite at Teminal 5 to await their luggage and have hot drinks while their passports are checked ...
A UK border force source, who asked to remain anonymous, said staff were ordered to attend the suite even if they were struggling to deal with ordinary passengers. 'They will get a phone call and be told there are passengers that need processing and they have to go immediately, even if there is a huge queue in the arrivals hall' the source said.
A VIP manager at the suite told The Sunday Times that the service had been unaffected by the recent immigration chaos. 'We are a priority. So that ticks over nicely really ... whilst everyone else is upstairs queuing.' He said the suite's clients tend to be 'extremely high profile celebrities or very wealthy businessmen. Their time is money and they don't want to be walking through a terminal, quite frankly'.

So there you are, if you don't want to queue, don't be such a cheapskate, just cough up! We don't seem to be hearing so much of the "we're all in it together" refrain nowadays, do we? Small wonder.

In a separate article by Brodie Clarke,former head of the UKBA:-

"A 20% cut in staff numbers across the UK Border Agency was agreed by ministers in 2011. It was clear then that passenger numbers would continue to increase and the planned staff reductions were based on smarter working - achieving more with less - by introducing a more risk-based approach. People considered a very low risk could experience a more basic level of security checking, allowing trained staff to focus on the individuals and destinations that presented the greatest risk to our country.

The shelving of this approach by Theresa May, the Home Secretary, which triggered my departure last November, should also have been the trigger for a rethink on resources. It must have been clear to all that May's decision to revert to full checks for everyone - irrespective of risk - could not possibly be done with the existing staff numbers ...

What makes it worse is that is is common knowledge in the border business that a bid submitted to ministers in January or February to recruit 300 extra staff was rejected. And to add insult to injury, the split of the UK Border Agency, which is being pushed through at speed, will see up to £4m spent on new uniforms and signage."

How very sensible.

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Re: border control delays...

Postby gus-lopez » Mon May 07, 2012 6:35 am

Free at Last wrote:From today's Sunday Times:-

"Heathrow is offering a 'secret' £1,800 service for wealthy air passengers to bypass queues for passport checks ...
The VIP offering, described as Heathrow's 'best kept secret' on the Heathrow services website, is raising millions of pounds for BAA, the airport's owners ...
The £1,800 fee entitles up to six passengers to be whisked through, shielded from the crowds at border controls. They are taken by limousine from their aircraft to the Windsor suite at Teminal 5 to await their luggage and have hot drinks while their passports are checked ...

As Michael Winner said " 60 pound, 60 pound to drive in a bus lane ! What a bargain ! "
Todos somos Lorca.


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